Border crossing and bike shipping from Panama

Border crossing is not as complicated as we thought before, and it is pretty much the same procedure in every country. You do not need any "helper" and if you want to let some children show you the way, any $3 to $5 will make they happy.
Basically you need 4 steps:
1) Your passport will be stamped like above describing the type of your bike, stating you CANNOT leave the country without the bike unless they permit it otherwise.

2) Get YOUR Immigration permit (another sector at the border)

3) Go though Customs, which will ask if you have fire arms, drugs etc... Sometimes they will ask you to open some of the bags, but it is not common

4) Finally you have to fumigate your bike (another 2.5 us$ in most cases)

Be prepared to pay between $20 to 40usd depending on the border and from 45 minutes to 2 hours to cross the departure country and the arrival country

In Panama, we used the Company Girag, located at the Cargo Terminal. (Phone +507 238 4326) talk to Mrs. Xenia or Mrs. Carmesa.

It is very easy procedure but will take two hours from beginning to end.
1) Girag will weight your bike (as least gas as possible)
2) They will cut an AWB (air way bill) and charge you 400 usd (to Bogotá)
3) You take the green paper the immigration gave you at the border, take to the customs near Girag building, they will stamp it, ET voilá. You are ready to leave the country and Girag will ship your bike (I hope) to your destination.

Girag has an office in Bogotá and it is supposed to be very straight forward to remove your bike from customs. I will know more in two weeks and will report accordingly.

I suggest you arrange for a Taxi to meet you at Girag and wait to take you back to Panama city or the airport terminal (us$ 10 per hour for waiting) Contact me later if you need the name of a good Taxi driver. I have his number somewhere and the guy is good.

I hope this information helps. Please fell free to contact me again in case you need some specific tip about any topic of this trip.